People Don't Really Change, Do They?
by heartlessleostar
Summary: Continuing along the lines of my previous story, The Calm after the Storm. Anna confronts Hans and he reveals to her that while some things cannot be changed, acceptance can be given even to the darkest of people. (Warning: not HansxAnna)


**So, thanks to marvelousgameofdisneythrones, I've decided to write more of this story! I'm not sure as yet as to how long I want it to be, or if I will continue it. Anyways here is more of Anna for the time being...**

**If you haven't already, you can check out The Calm after the Storm on my page to see the short meeting between Elsa and Hans, which is more of an introduction to the storyline.**

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"Aw geez, you've gotta have _a lot_ of stamina there, kiddo!" Kristoff huffed, planting his hands on his hips.

Josef merely grinned up at him. "Papa is laaazzyyyy" he drawled happily, giggling and clasping his hands together.

"Well, so is mama", came Anna's voice. She appeared next to Kristoff and handed him a glass of champagne, clutching her own in her other hand.

Kristoff laughed openly as he took the glass. "Seriously Anna, you can fight off wolves with a fricking lute and climb mountains and practically go through hell and back, but a few hours of dancing and you're drained already?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Anna pouted playfully and swatted her husband's arm just as he was taking a sip of his drink, resulting in him spluttering up his drink.

"Ewww Papa!" Josef exclaimed loudly and set off into a another set of giggles.

Anna calmly wiped a spot off of Kristoff's mouth and spoke, "It's getting pretty late. Josef needs to go to bed before the sugar rush from all that chocolate kicks in."

"Too late" Kristoff smirked, jerking his head to their son. Josef was now twirling around with Olaf, the pair the ultimate epitome of maddening happiness. Josef accidentally pulled out one of the snowman's twig arms, and both the young prince and Olaf laughed wildly, extremely amused.

"He may have my hair, but that chocolate obsession comes from you."

"He may have my eyes, but that reindeer obsession _definitely_ comes from you."

They glared at each other, pretending to threaten each other with their faces alone, daring the other to speak, until...

"Okay, fine, I'm going to put the little guy to sleep. I might just turn in myself..." he trailed off but Anna understood. Despite being a major part of the castle even before their marriage, Kristoff was always uneasy when it came to fancy ballroom parties.

Without waiting for Anna's reply, he gave her a quick peck on her lips, whispered that he loved her, scooped up Josef and marched out of the ballroom with Olaf in tow.

Anna smiled giddily and shook her head, was the champagne getting to her? She thought of going to give Elsa some company, she hadn't spoken to her sister much that night as she and Kaspar were constantly greeting guests. Anna's eyes scanned the room until she spotted a shock of platinum blonde hair, closely moving with a dark brunette head, which surely belonged to Prince Kaspar of Maldona.

Anna and Olaf were the only ones who called the prince by his first name, without his title. Elsa, of course, was ever the poster girl of reverence and elegance. Kristoff on the other hand, used his title out of habit, right from when Elsa and Kaspar weren't even all that close.

Anna watched her sister and her betrothed dance for a bit. Elsa, unlike Anna, was never given dancing lessons as a child. Anna now understood the reason behind this. Elsa had always seemed to have an issue with physical contact with other people, that much was obvious to Anna, despite hardly seeing Elsa as they both grew up. That of course changed when Elsa realized that it was love that could redeem her. Looking at her now though, still slightly timid and stiff, yet so merry, made Anna's heart soar.

Elsa and Kaspar were now swaying on the spot to the soothing music. Their arms were wrapped around each other and Elsa's head rested against his chest.

_I'm so happy you're getting the fairy-tale ending I always wanted for you._

Anna placed her glass on a tray passing by and quietly slipped out of the room. She soon found herself standing in the doorway to the balcony. The moon was high up in the sky, setting off a dim, white glow upon Arendelle. The sight was breath-taking. Anna stepped forward to get a better look when suddenly a figure emerged from the side, knocking her to the ground. She landed with a thud on her side and pain rocked her body.

"Hey!' she cried, sitting up too quickly, causing stars to spin behind her eyes.

"I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" a concerned masculine voice called out to her. Anna shook her head to clear it and looked up to face her "attacker".

Whatever response she had died in her throat when she recognized him.

"You! Y-y-you traitor! You piece of filth! First your horse decides to hit me, then you yourself! How are-why-when did-EURGH!" she screamed loudly and scrambled to her feet rather ungracefully and slapped away the man's outstretched hand, ignoring the ache of her body from the fall.

"Anna, please calm dow-"

"NO. I will NOT calm down. I don't take orders from YOU, _Hans_!"

Hans gaped at her comically, unable to articulate an appropriate response.

"Oh, and that's PRINCESS Anna to you, or Your Highness, thank you very much" Anna stated boldly, hurrying to adjust her disheveled skirts and hair.

"I'm sorry, Princess, I was not aware that I'd be expecting company at this late hour..." Hans said quietly.

Anna squinted at him. "Neither was I. Even if I was, I wouldn't expect to bump into a regicidal-homicidal-mean-sideburny-sociopath" she spat at him, hands balled into fists at her sides.

Hans sighed, clearly exasperated. "Can't you just-"

"-let it go? Not in your wildest dreams."

Anna turned away dramatically and moved toward the edge of the balcony.

Hans watched her back as she gazed out of a few moments. "It's a beautiful night" he started.

"Stay away from Elsa."

Hans smiled, though Anna could not see his face. "Oh, well I am afraid that I've already met with Her Majesty _and _her affianced."

Anna spun around angrily but Hans raised his arms in defense. "Your Highness, I assure you that I am not here to take anything that doesn't belong to me. I am merely here to celebrate a joyous occasion."

Anna eyed him. Hans was practically the same as his 23 year old self, appearance wise at least. Same dark auburn hair, same yellowish green eyes, same pointy nose and wide chin. The only marks of age were the lines along his forehead and the noticeable bags underneath his eyes.

"Oh really? So you expect Elsa and I to just magically forget what happened in the past and frolic around like children?"

"Well, no, of course, not" Hans replied slowly, as if expecting Anna to pounce like a rabid dog. "I'm also here to make amends."

"That's rich coming from you, wise guy. I don't recall any real efforts from your end these past how-many-ever-years" Anna shot back and crossed her arms tightly across her chest in an attempt to calm herself.

"I didn't have a say in anything that happened after I got back a decade ago! I wasn't allowed to move out of the castle without an armed guard, and no one even knew of what I had done except for the royal family of the Southern Isles. My father, who was king at the time, hushed up the whole affair. Didn't want his pretty little reputation to be stained by the runt of the family" Hans spat out bitterly. "He passed 5 years ago and my eldest brother, the crown prince, Tybalt, ascended the throne. I know it may be hard to digest, but he's an even bigger maniac than I was. They don't call him "Tyrannical Tybalt" for nothing."

Anna relaxed her arms a little bit and let her curiosity get the better of her. "What did he do?"

Hans shrugged "As far as I know, he hasn't killed any civilians. Just a whole lot of the staff 'cause he wasn't pleased with the idle chatter about him that went on behind his back. My father, well he was no saint, but the working staff at least respected him. Tybalt may not have spilt that much blood but that's because he got what he wanted without having to get his hands dirty."

Anna watched the way Hans spoke, the way his mouth turned up as if repulsed. Fueled by this, she said "Don't act like you wouldn't have been exactly like him. If I hadn't come in the way, you would have killed my only sister and stolen the throne. Arendelle's subjects would have detested you."

Hans smiled sadly at this. "I highly doubt it, Princess. Quite the contrary , in fact. Keep in mind that people were close to _dying _from all that cold. I was doing what I thought was the only way out: to eliminate the source of the winter and win the approval of the people."

Anna was positively livid now. "Fine. Say what you want, I'm gonna go call the guards now and-"

"Wait what?! NO please don't do that!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, Hans. One."

"Because I escaped, Anna... I mean, Princess."

Anna's eyes widened in disbelief. "You what?!"

"Escaped. You know, when someone leaves without permission and-"

"I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS" Anna yelled and slapped his face in frustration. Hans staggered back and clutched his cheek, looking scared of the raging princess in front of him.

"I had to get out of that wretched castle! Those walls, those guards, those insults and punishments from my so called blood brothers! Day in and day out! I couldn't! I had to leave, I was going to lose my mind! Then, I overheard Tybalt speaking with his advisers one day. Well, we can hardly call them advisers since he doesn't really listen to what they have to say, and if they disagree with him, they'll have their heads pinned up on the wall of the throne room and-"

"GET TO THE POINT"

"Right, yes. Uh. So, anyways. One adviser had apparently overheard the townspeople speaking of "The Royal Wedding" in Arendelle. I automatically assumed it would be your's and the ice harvester's at first. By the way, I saw your son earlier today, and he is delightfully-"

'YOU SPOKE TO MY SON?!"

"What? No no not at all, more like watched you all from afar. I mean, I assure you I was not stalking you at all, Princess." Seeing the look on Anna's face made Hans speak even faster. "Yeah so I brushed it off, didn't make much of it, because I had heard that you'd been married for a couple of years now. But then the adviser mentioned that the Queen of Arendelle had agreed to marry Maldona's only son, Prince Kaspar. When Tybalt finally spoke, he stated he would in no ways attend the wedding and did not want the Southern Isles to have anything to do with it. I figured this would be the only chance for me to escape."

"How did you escape? And haven't they noticed that you're gone? Wait, if they're on their way here to declare war, I swear I'll..."

"Have no worries, Princess. I was able to snag one of the smaller ships with slight defects on it, so no one would make any use of it, and take it out in the middle of the night without other's noticing. As for escaping the palace, well..." Hans rubbed a spot of the ground absently with his boot and looked down. Sighing, he looked back up, his eyes hard "I set my room on fire with a matchstick and some oil that I'd found. The guard who was with me at the time was burned beyond belief. I didn't want to kill him, I really didn't, but this particular one always went on about how I should have been killed right at the start and he kept taunting me. He was going to kill me that night, he had brought out his knife and was going to kill me in my sleep. I wasn't planning on escaping that very night, but I didn't have a choice. After leaving the castle, I took cover under a cloak and within hours I'd heard of the youngest prince being burnt to death in his own room. They all believed me to be dead. I took the ship as soon as I could while everyone else was distracted with the news."

"I guess they taught all the princes back there that it's either kill, or be killed" Anna said with raised eyebrows.

Hans didn't even shrug at that. "In some cases, yes. It's the only way."

"Look I don't doubt your story, I really don't, even though I should. But I can't know if you're here for another shot at..."

"Another shot?!" Hans laughed without humour. "I highly doubt I have a chance at all. If there's no queen, then you automatically ascend the throne, you're second in line, and Elsa has not produced heirs of her own. And if there's no you, your son is next in line. There's no scope for me here. Also, the people of Arendelle recognize me, and I truly believe I am not being vain when I say that I've retained my good looks from my youth."

Anna turned back to the balcony and gazed out for a while. The stars dimly twinkled back at her.

"You never even apologized. You didn't feel any remorse or guilt for what you did" she said in a strained voice. Though Anna never really showed it, what Hans had done really hurt her. She was thankful for not marrying him and not letting herself fall in love with him, but she had truly trusted him. Kristoff, bless his heart, made up for almost everything that Hans' hadn't done, but that didn't mean she could just move on and forget the man entirely.

"Anna, please don't say that" he whispered.

"It's true! It is! Why should I not say anything? Why did you have to come back?! It would have been better if I never saw you again, I could at least pretend that those few days were just some terrible nightmares..." Anna cried out, tears sparkling in her teal eyes. She wiped her eyes furiously and swallowed the growing lump in her throat.

"I don't regret what I did, Anna. I'm going to be honest with you. I know that if I hadn't tried, I would have always wondered why I didn't grasp the chance to find my own place. And I know my place isn't the Southern Isles. I just had to try" Hans said, his eyes heavy, "It was never my initial intention to bring harm to either you or your sister."

"Well, it's too late for that" Anna muttered, not meeting his eyes.

"I'm not here for your forgiveness, neither am I here for Elsa's. I don't deserve it, hell, that much even a child can tell. As I said before, I'm here to make amends. More for myself than anyone else, really. I want to show you that I'm happy for your sister's happiness, and as soon as the wedding's over, I'll be on my way to a new town. Get a new identity. Get a job. I'd be wanting to find work for a while now, but Tybalt of course refused to let me out of the palace. I can't go back there anymore, I'm a dead man there either ways."

Anna merely looked at him, her expression unreadable. "You'll be gone next week?"

"I depart next Sunday, yes, that is the plan."

"Okay" she whispered and nodded slightly.

The remained quiet for the next couple of minutes, both of their postures more relaxed than before. Anna leaned forward and rested her elbows on the railings, Hans did the same and crossed his forearms.

"This failure has changed me, Anna. It made me realize something, and I'm sure I'm right because I have had years to ponder over this" Hans finally broke the silence and turned to the princess. "I'm always going to be a stupid, smart-mouthed, good for nothing fool who isn't all that great at making and executing plans. But I'm something that I wasn't before. I'm a _free man_. I'm no longer driven by a need that wasn't even mine to begin with. What I wanted wasn't a throne and power like I initially thought, but actually acceptance, and attention, and just the feeling of... _belonging _somewhere. I know I can never have that back home, and I can't have that here because I let my pointless greed get to me. I don't have any regrets because I now get to do what I want, and now I actually _know_ what I want."

He sighed, "I know it's small comfort, but I revealed my plans to you in the library that day not only because I was sure you were going to die, but because you were in the same position as me. Neglected, left behind, shut out by a sibling who put themselves first all the time. I understand now that Elsa did that to protect you, but there was no love lost when it came to my brothers. I felt the need to explain it all to you, I didn't want you groping in the dark all over again."

"You told me that no one loved me" Anna said slowly.

"And that's something I truly believed. I wasn't lying then. You had just informed me that your _sister _froze your heart, despite being sure that she would never hurt you. I didn't even know it was an accident at the time. And, you know my part in the whole thing..."

"Yeah, I do..." Anna whispered, more to herself.

The continued to gaze out for a while before Hans straightened up, smoothing over his jacket. "Well, uh, it's pretty late, I think I'll be turning in now."

"You're sleeping in the castle?"

"What? No no, I'll be going back to my ship, I really don't want to make a fuss, I'm sure everything is already booked what with all the guests and-"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'll ask Gerda if there's a spare room."

"Anna, please, I'll manage just fine on the ship-"

"I'm not allowing a guest, traitor or not, to not be treated hospitably!"

Hans quelled once more under her indignant stare.

"Come now, follow me" trilled Anna, walking past him and out of the balcony.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm fine with you calling me Anna" she said and continued to walk away.

Hans followed meekly behind her, and for the first time in forever, smiled a truly genuine smile.

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**WOW that turned out longer than expected, for my standards at least. But I'm really happy with the results :D I may or may not be continuing with this timeline but I'll wait it out. I do hope I've managed to write these two true to their characters! Enjoy!**


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